Training an Army of Civilians

In July, a military MBA student happened to glance down the Executive Education hallway and spot a man dressed in a suit and tie who looked familiar. “Is that … the Secretary of the Army?”

It was. Secretary John M. McHugh visited Mendoza College to speak to senior career civilian employees attending the Army Senior Executive Education Program (ASEEP) offered by Notre Dame Executive Education. During his talk, the former congressman from New York spoke of the critical need to develop and train a robust civilian workforce as part of the country’s defense system. Civilians make up roughly one-quarter of the 1.4 million-person Army, providing a full range of skills that complement military occupational specialties.

The weeklong ASEEP is offered biannually in April and July. Participants include members of the U.S. Army Senior Executive Service (SES). The hands-on learning experience, led by Executive Education program faculty member Peter A. DeLisle, develops a greater understanding and command of strategic leadership in a technology-oriented environment that is dealing with significant, rapid change.